Studying Japanese language in Japan

Hi to all!

I'm European (Swiss) and I'd like to study Japanese language in Japan for about one year and living on homestay with a family if possible. Of course there are many questions that need to be answered before I can start, so I hope some people here could advise me and tell me about their own experiences. My most important question is about how much money would be needed in total for such a task (costs for language classes and homestay, any other expenses).
Did anyone here do a similar thing to what I'm planning, and what are your experiences about your time in Japan?
Thank you for any replies!

You could try to apply for an internship at a company in Japan, if you don't mind working while being in Japan. ;) Bosch for instance provides accomodation, covers half of the cost for language training and pays enough for living.

Thank you for your reply! I wouldn't mind working while being in Japan at all, but I wonder what kind of job could be done with just a little knowledge of Japanese language yet. What kind of work would Bosch offer?

As Bosch is an international company, there is no need to speak Japanese to work there, English is fine.
As they are mostly active in the automotive sector in Japan, jobs are mostly Engineering or Sales related, but they also offer other internships.
Oh, I forgot last time, if I remember correctly, you have to be a university student or have just finished your studies to qualify for a Bosch internship - I could be wrong with thatthough.

http://www.bosch.co.jp/en/career/internship.asp
You need to already have prior knowledge and skills before getting into that internship, you can see it from their site.

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If you're goal is to primary study Japanese language, then going full time student is a good idea.

Language school costs should be something in the range of 6-10k USD for one year (tuition, not including other items).

Schools vary, here's a list:
http://murasakishikibu.co.jp/jls/

http://www.yamasa.org/index.html

Many thanks for your replies! I checked out those links with big interest. Seems Bosch is not a choice for me as I don't fit in their profile though. Do you have experience with one of those schools?